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Monday, June 4, 2012

Living Room

We live in our living room.

You know, by that I mean to say that we don't have a "family room", this is it.

Other than the kitchen it is the most used room in the house. Our TV is there, and after the kids go to bed that is where we will watch a show or two ourselves. The kids are limited in their viewing, mostly to car travel, airplane travel, and at-home haircuts.

If you ask my husband, he might tell you that I never leave "my spot" on the couch. But I do. Someone has to cook in the kitchen, right? My spot is perfectly set on the leather couch so that I can watch tv, see kids on the deck, watch a child going potty in the powder room if they leave the door open, and it has a side table to put my glass while nursing the baby. Oh, and it's leather, so when the baby spits up, I can wipe it off.

The leather ones are the Wells sofa and settee from Room and Board. The blue love seats are from Crate and Barrel.

We designed the coffee table ourselves, since we couldn't find anything in stores that was the right scale.

We sourced the live-edge slab when it was unfinished, chose a stain, then designed the legs and had them fabricated by an iron works we know. When you are both architects, you can do that. Artisan Burlwood, where we found the top will also do all of that for you, which might be easier.

I'm also in love with this very chic navy laptop table. It slides right over your lap to provide plenty of space for a laptop and a drink. This one is from Crate and Barrel, but Room & Board has some in amazing colors (hot pink!).

We added the telescope to break up the horizon in the room. Our kids also like to stand on the settee and look for San Francisco. Or Papa's house. My dad lives across the bay, and in theory, if there is no fog, we could see him.

Same idea with the floor vase and branches from Ikea (shhh, don't tell anyone!)

The side tables are from Overstock, and I added a navy and white greek key tray from Z Gallerie and a collection of architecture books underneath. And the gardening book I need if I ever want anything to grow on our deck.

Similar to the kitchen, we have UV shades in here as well, to block out the afternoon sun and to cut glare on the TV. The deer head is from Z Gallerie, you can read more about the mantle-scape here.

Jessica

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ahhhhhhhh AMAZING! Oh my goodness you guys are talented with your design! I adore ever detail about this space. It is so chic and yet so relaxing! Perfect! And I can only imagine that with the amazing view it is just PERFECTION! :o) I LOVE seeing your space! Seriously I am so inspired!Jaime

What a lovely space to relax and watch TV and blog away with your laptop table (and I need to get me one of those for my very own living room. Blogging hunched over the coffee table is making me a hunchback!

Gorgeous room - no wonder why you never leave your spot :-) My hubby also kids around that I have a permanent spot on the couch, but I say it's well deserved after doing all the work a mom and wife does!!

I can't believe this is your lived in room! It looks like a museum- ok, maybe that's overkill- at least it looks like a home without kiddos!So lovely- as usual!! Were those new pillows on the couches? I didn't remember them from last time?xo Becca

Beautiful! Where did you get the rug? I found you at the link party at savvy southern style. Would love for you to join my link party at http://www.doodlesandstitches.com/2012/06/another-fab-friday-thank-you-to.htmlI'm just loving the coral... such a fresh color! Thanks for sharing and congratulations on a gorgeous room!

I'm so glad I found your blog...your home is my absolute dream home! We just bought a new home that needs work and your home is going to be a huge inspiration in my choices for decorating and painting.

I love the Christopher Peacock paint - Cadogen Gray. Is it as blue in person as it is in the pictures? I may just have to suck it up and go for it...it's a little outside my comfort zone. I have always played it safe with the beige/tan/brown neutrals. But, this time, I am looking to do something a little more contemporary/transitional.

We are have a custom staircase made and I just love the contrasting stain you have on your treads and handrail...do you happen to know the color of the stain?

Thank you for sharing your home. You have amazing taste and design skills!

Your space is so amazingly soothing! And yet those pops of red (what shade is that??) bring a a vibrancy and expectancy, like a fun gathering is just about to happen! In scrolling through your photos, I was thinking: Wow! this looks professionally designed--and then that coffee table! FANtasTIC! And then I saw: you are architects ~ it IS professionally designed. Right down to your perfect spot on the couch! It's gorgeous. Thanks SO much for sharing and linking up over at I Gotta Create!! Gotta feature this on Facebook right away!<3 Christina

I was drawn to your site by the center coffee table. It is absolutely magnificent. I have been to a store in NY that sells pieces like this one in which the raw edge of the tree is literally transformed into a work of art. Amazing job, this room is more than beautiful and I would die for that coffee table!

LOVE the living room! Do you share what paint colors you used? I just bought a house and thought I had my colors picked out. Spent a lot of time paining and now I don't like them so I'm on a mission to find the perfect colors and I love the look of this room! : )

Jessica, your living room is beautiful and the Carbon paint color was the perfect choice! We live in our living room too since we don't have a separate family room either :). I'd love to feature this on my paint color blog. You wouldn't have to do a thing, just let me know if you're interested!

I really love all of your post Jessica! Great Job! I would love to try this on my home. I also shared you site to my friend in Singapore, is she really like your posts how she wish that all of condominiums for sale in singapore would look like this

About

I'm a Harvard-trained architect, now staying at home with 4 young children. I designed and built my dream house, then did it all again with a modern vacation house. I'm putting my passion for design, food and family to work. I built the dream, but I still live in reality.